Show Reviews

This was my first Phish show at on my home turf. The Carini opener brought the thick and heavy energy right from the start. Sparkle, Sloth and, Maze kept the pace quite nicely. Rift offered one more burst before Sleep and Caspian cooled down the atmosphere. Second set Boogie > Twist was awesome. A little funky, a little dreamy. But that Halley's Comet is fire! I heard rumors that this may have bee a night where Trey walked off the stage in the middle of the jam. Whatever! His strings were probably red hot after the shred session he just played for the last ten minutes. Unlike any Trey I've ever seen. Blew my mind! He strummed the guitar one last time. I'm no guitar player but I think he hit his loop, walked off stage and the band faded out. I thought it was an awesome end. I hope one day for that Halley's Comet to be released on a Live Bait in the near future. I haven't heard a Halley's like that since.

There's not much notable about the first set, to be honest. However, set two is one of the all-time greats among the rare four-song variety, with top-ten versions of Boogie and Halley's that sandwich a druggy Twist and a McGrupp that features an extended, engaging take on the Page-led jam.

The absolute SCORCHER of a set closer in Halley's is overshadowed somewhat by the controversy of Trey's mid-song departure, a la the 10/31/98 Ghost. I was dead center, around the 25th row back. I vaguely recall Trey flashing an annoyed look to his right (stage left), but honestly, it's foggy enough of a memory that I can't be sure whether it's legitimately my own memory, or my lasting mental picture after years of hearing and reading other fans' stories of that moment.

What I do clearly remember is, with his bandmates holding the groove, Trey removed his Languedoc, bowed, and left the stage. Mike and Page exchanged a glance, perhaps laced with a sliver of confusion, but with enough ambiguity as to admire the quality of their poker faces. The jam faded out, the remaining three band members exited stage right, and then shortly afterward the four of them returned uneventfully for the last two songs of 1.0 I'd see them play.

To use the parlance of our times, the level of "ripcording" in Trey's sudden departure has been built up way too much over the twelve-plus years since that show. Relistening to the Halley's jam today, I was surprised to hear them turn the heat down to a simmer a good minute or two before Trey exits, making the fade out sound absolutely natural. Given the rumors swirling about the details of the impending hiatus at the time, and with the 10/31/98 Ghost in recent memory (a far more jarring end to a jam than this one), I think it's very likely that fans perceived drama that did not exist. I'd be interested in other attendees of this show sharing their memories of this moment.

I'm not particularly huge on watching video of past Phish shows (as opposed to merely listening to the audio), but for several reasons, this is one show I'd absolutely love to see again someday.

I've been at all the shows Trey has left the stage in awkward fashion:

1. 8/17/96
2. 10/31/98

and thirdly 9/18/00

I had no intention of attending this show but the rumors were going around that they were going to take a break.

Went to see the new Phish movie three days before the show and was convinced that I was making a good decision.

Drove the six hours, chilled with some kids in the lot playing guitar, shared a bowl. I remember it was a beautiful day.

First time at the venue. THIS VENUE IS GREAT! Not lying. Gorgeous place to see a show.

I like songy (not a word) 1st sets and Caspian's don't bother me as set closers…especially 1.0 Caspians.

I love this 2nd set…it is all oner the place…which I get off on at Phish shows. I remember this Halley's rips…Trey was on fire, Page was on fire, Mike was on fire and Henrietta was ripping the drums like only he can.

as noted in the other review, this is a very good venue. also of note, i drug my dad out here for his first and to date, only phish show. he loved the good assortment of beers in the parking lot.

carini: the boys came out slamming right out of the gate. nice hot start

sparkle: short and sweet

the sloth: awesome! they got the rock and roll vibe back in a big way. good sloth.

maze: this was the highlight of the 1st. as he tends to be, page was all over this maze. very nice high peak.

guelah papyrus: don't see this one very often. good chill out song after a firey maze.

mmgamoio: one of my favorite phishy blue grass tunes. awesome. i thought this set was going to finish strong...

sample: not bad... go ahead and get it out of the way...

rift: hm ok, at least trey didnt flub the lyrics

sleep: come on now

caspian: wow... this set went down hill fast and never turned around. better luck next set...

set 2
boogie on: very long funky boogie on. gordo and page were blazing. fish held it down nicely. and trey had some hot licks. after this jam took a darker turn the clumpsily slipped it into...

twist: not my favorite song, and i found this version to be particularly boring. it seemed to go nowhere, very slowly.

mcgrupp: back on track! very good mcgrupp. page's solo is probably the musical highlight of this show. very eery and dark piano solo.

halley's comet: now we're blazing. they tore through this halley's comet and had a very hot jam going. all of a sudden, trey just looked around, took off his guitar, and headed back stage. page, fish, and gordo wrapped up the jam and abrubtley called it a night. were there bad vibes in the vibe. why kill such a hot jam so early on a nice evening? anyway....

enc:
axilla: they are leaving like they came in, rocking. good axilla

taste: pretty solid taste. if trey was pissed in halley's, it did not show here. he played quite well on this taste. maybe he just needed to catch a buzz....

overall:
the first half of the first set is definitely worth listening too, but unless you are a big caspian fan, the big half is missable. the boogie on is a notch below the chula vista 99 version, but it still probably, at this time, the 2nd best boogie on. mc grupp is a must hear, and halley's is peculiar. all in all, a mediocre show with killer versions of mcgrupp, maze, and boogie on, plus the sloth!

My first time at Blossom, a venue that's become one my favorites for seeing Phish. It's just a beautiful place that offers an all-around excellent concert experience.
As the excellent Phish Companion review correctly points out, the lawn was indeed half empty. Plenty of room to groove, and from the very first chords of Carini, it was a no-holds-barred dance fest. I thought it was nice to hear Sleep. Caspian was long and jammed-out, as was typical for 2000.
I led an impromptu drum circle of sorts during the set break – a handful of people were banging on the lid of a large plastic trash bin! I was actually giving instructions to everyone (“Stop! If you all bang on this thing at random, it will collectively sound like ass. I'll start with a simple beat, and everyone slowly add something complimentary and equally simple...”)
The magic really started to unfold during set 2. The extended Boogie On > Twist segment was quite nice, and Fishman's excellent fills really made the jams. I have fond memories of brazenly cutting a rug with a group of equally ecstatic strangers on the wide thoroughfare between the lawn and the pavilion. McGrupp was spot-on. I've sometimes wondered why Halley's tends to make fans so excited... upon giving this show a careful second listen, this Halley's justifies its status as a fan-favorite: it rocks and rips hard! It will likely remain a mystery why Trey abruptly walked off stage as the song wound down (at the time, I was too busy dancing to even notice).
Taste worked really well in the encore slot; it's one of my all-time favorite Phish tunes. The unusual chord progression gives the illusion of an ever-ascending crescendo, and Trey's brilliant licks pack an emotional punch.
Overall, this was a pretty damn good show! If you like the 2000 vibe, give it a listen. The aud I have ain't too shabby, either.

Review
by
Anonymous

It's a shame that it took Phish almost 400 shows to return to the beautiful Blossom Music Center. Sure, it's a smaller venue, but it's such a great place to see live music. Not many people were at this show, as tickets were all over the lot and the Shakedown was pretty miniscule. However, the police were in full effect; mounted officers on horseback were everywhere, and a rumored ninety-three kids got busted selling or trying to buy drugs from undercover cops wearing tie-dyes that said Kmart on them and wearing fanny packs. The parking lot at Blossom is very nice, grass covered and big, yet easy to maneuver. As show time approached we started the walk to the venue, which is an adventure in itself.
You walk along this paved path that is surrounded by trees and forest. Then you come to this stone bridge that you mush walk across. The venue's gate is made up of logs and looks almost like an old fort from colonial America. As you pass through the gate you come upon a sort of nature walk that features stone trails that lead through a pretty flower garden hidden amongst a group of trees. As you walk further down the trail you come to a small hill, and as you come to the peak of it you realize that it is the back of the lawn. You can look down the slope and see the pavilion that is shaped just like a spaceship and very retro looking. As you enter the pavilion you can see that the whole stage and backdrop is made out of the same wood that made up the front gate, and it is easy to tell why this venue is one of Kuroda's favorites to light.
As the show began, a quick look around revealed that the lawn was half empty and there were plenty of seats available in the pavilion. For some reason this show didn't sell very well, apparently. The band took the stage and opened the show with a standard version of "Carini" that was quickly followed by "The Sloth". Getting the metal out right away, the band launched into a fast paced version of "Maze" that served as the highlight of the first set. Overall the set was quite strong, featuring a diverse song selection despite the fact that each version of the tunes was for the most part standard (aside from "Maze"). The rarity "Guelah Papyrus" showed itself and was followed by the bluegrass Phish favorite "My Mind". "Sample In A Jar" once again found its way into my life; however, if they band wanted to play it I was thankful they were playing it in the middle of the first set and not encoring with it.
After "Sample", a standard version of "Rift" led into "Sleep". Although this version didn't sound much different from the studio version, it was still nice to hear, since the band rarely played this tune. "Caspian" followed and thankfully this version was an extended one, with Trey taking the reins and turning it into a genuine set closer. After "Caspian" the band left the stage and house lights came on. I ran to use the bathroom and get water and I noticed that even though the venue was less than full, the lines were longer than ever. I finally got back to my seat as the house lights dimmed yet again and the band kicked into the ever-popular "Boogie On Reggae Woman".
The song proved to be the song of the night, as it got extended into the 1997 style funk and featured a dark and brooding jam that lead its way somewhat awkwardly into "Twist". "Twist" also featured an extended jam that touched on the realm of darkness before coming to a close. The only "McGrupp" of the year 2000 followed and was highlighted by Page taking a beautiful piano solo during the jam while Kuroda bathed the stage in purple light.
"McGrupp" was received by a roar from the audience who wondered what the band was going to bust out next. There was a mixture of screams and laughter while the crowd began to jump up and down as Mike started the vocal intro to "Halley's Comet". This is one of the most fun songs Phish does and is by far a huge fan favorite. The band erupted into an extended funk jam that went way, way out there, abandoning the main theme as Trey wailed and wrestled notes out of his guitar. The jam climaxed and stayed there for awhile and just as it seemed that the band was going to take it in a new direction and possibly even further out there, Trey bowed to the audience and walked off stage in mid-jam, leaving the rest of the band standing there confused. Page, Fish, and Mike held the groove for a few moments since it was obvious they hadn't planned on Trey leaving and they didn't know what was going on. Finally, as there was no sign of Trey coming back the band brought "Halley's" to an end, bowed, and walked off the stage. A very unprofessional ending to an otherwise great set.
The band came back out for the encore and launched into a standard "Axilla Pt. I" before segueing into a monster "Taste", a version so good that we left the venue forgetting all about the peculiar way Trey had left the stage in mid-jam.

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